1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of vision aids and more particularly, to vision aids based on image-to-sound and image-to-touch conversions.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Blind and visually impaired persons face daily challenges of mobility and orientation that severely affect their well being. With the technological development of information technology, modern lifestyle involves extended use of computers that usually necessitate interfacing using a graphic display.
According to some scientific studies, blind and visually impaired persons tend to develop enhanced hearing. Specifically, people who have been blind from an early age are better at locating sound sources than sighted persons and have better tactile abilities (e.g. reading Braille). Furthermore, brain scans suggest that parts of the brain normally used in processing sight, such as the visual cortex, may be converted to enhancing a blind person's ability to process sound and touch.
Therefore, there have been some attempts in representing vision by converting images taken from a live camera into sound signals. One example is the vOICe vision technology that offers blind persons an experience of live camera views through image-to-sound renderings.
Another example is the BrainPort® technology that has been developed for use as a visual aid. The BrainPort® technology has demonstrated its ability to allow a blind person to see his surroundings in polygonal and pixel form. In this scenario, a camera picks up the image of the surrounding; the information is processed by a chip which converts it into impulses which are sent through an electrode array, via the tongue, to the person's brain.
Theoretically, the use of digital senses could lead to synthetic vision with truly visual orientation through cross-modal sensory integration, by exploiting the existing multi-sensory processing and neural plasticity of the human brain through training and education.